Ahead of what is set to be a week of some pretty big announcements from Prime Minister around a freedoms and liberties in the coming few weeks and months, we wanted to inject the weekend with some colour and a wonderful reminder of the colour, fun and sheer joy that weddings bring us.
Rosie, a florist at Early Hours London, and Martin, an MD at a motor insurance company, tied the knot on 29th September last year. The couple’s wonderfully colourful, creative and fun festival inspired wedding was held at Slaugham Manor in Haywards Heath in West Sussex.
Pippa Carvell Photography + Follow
“We are both huge music and festival lovers and so wanted to create our own relaxed festival, which is where ‘Foreverfest’ was born. We both wanted the day to be fun, so we chose to go as bright and colourful as we could with decorations and finishing touches. Neither of us take ourselves too seriously and I think that was reflected in the decorations and the vibe of the day.”
The floral aspect of this wedding is just breathtaking, but then that was always going to be a given when the bride herself is a talented floral designer.
“I work for Early Hours London, the things we can create are out of this world. It was a no brainer.”
The couple tied the knot at Slaugham Manor in Haywards Heath – a historic gardens wedding venue located in West Sussex. Described as a private, magical and peaceful setting, the manor provided the perfect space for Rosie and Martin to really go to town with their festival wedding concept and decor.
“We chose this as it was a blank canvas for us to put our own stamp on but still with beautiful grounds. We loved the idea of getting married outside under one of the old arches.”
“We hired huge festival flags to line the aisle from Event Flag Hire. Together we also created our ‘ForeverFest’ Sign. We had a glitter table in the evening for guests to really get into the festival spirit.”
“Martin designed all wedding stationery himself, from ticket invites, the line up style table plan, the lanyards and the wristbands. The place cards were plain white which I decorated with an acorn stamp and were written by one of my friends who does calligraphy.”
“I found my dress at Teokath in Wimbledon. I went into Teokath after various other trips to other wedding dress shops, so I had more of an idea what I wanted. The staff were lovely, helpful and went above and beyond to make the experience comfortable and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking.
“I have very sensitive skin – any lace or netted material would give me an instant red rash when trying on other dresses. So instead, I went for a plain silk gown with a long train and high neckline to keep the look timeless and elegant.”
“I purchased my dress bought from Teokath in Wimbledon. I went into Teokath after various other trips to other wedding dress shops, so I had more of an idea what I wanted. The staff were lovely, helpful and went above and beyond to make the experience comfortable and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking.”
“We had a large wedding party so hired two make up artists; Mel Miller and Vicky Browne. Stylist Ashley Cabello did our hair.”
“I wanted an extra long veil, and so had one custom made for me at Emma Tindley in East Grinstead. We took up the entire shop with the length of my veil and more!”
“I wore my late Nanny’s wedding ring as my something old, a nod to her on a day she would have loved to have been at. Martin also bought me earrings to match my engagement ring which I wore on the day.”
The groom and all his groomsmen wore suits from Ted Baker. Each waistcoat had an embroidered message on the inside which read ‘Martins men, 1 of 10 29th June 2019’.
“I had six bridesmaids – each of different size and shape, and three of which were pregnant for the wedding! We went to SexyHer in Croydon which allowed them to choose any style of dress they wanted but could be made in the same colour and material. This way they would all be comfortable.”
The bride followed her maids down the grassy aisle, and accompanied in the arms of her father, who looked as happy and proud as punch. She carried an elegant bouquet of sweet peas, tied with pale green ribbon.
“My Dad accompanied me down the aisle – he was more emotional than I was. I walked down the aisle to Sweet disposition by Temper Trap. It always reminds me of summer and being at a festival.”
The couple exchanged rings beneath the most spectacular floral installation.
“We got our rings from Queensmiths in Hatton Garden. This is the same place that Martin bought the engagement ring.”
“We were escorted out to a private balcony with a fantastic view over central London, it was there that martin got down on one knee. We were engaged for just one year before we got married, we didn’t want to wait.”
“We made the decision to keep our vows as short as possible, we didn’t want the ceremony to take a long time, we had lots of guests and it was the hottest day of the year and the ceremony was outside – so we said the traditional vows.”
“Martin and I met through mutual friends and were ourselves just friends for a few years before we finally went on our first date. We got engaged at Galvin at Windows on top of the Hilton hotel on park lane in London.”
“We chose to have three bands throughout the day; first of all, the ‘Cotton Piccadillys’ – these guys played a very chilled and folky vibe. We also. hired ‘Social scene’ – they played a relaxed set during dinner. And we hired ‘The Kicks’, who played an acoustic set outside before moving into the marquee for a much livelier set for the rest of the evening. All bands were chosen through the Alive Network.”
“We bought a neon sign from Bag & Bones which we incorporated into a flower wall.”
The couple hired Super Events Catering to feed their guests…
“We supplied all the drinks and alcohol for the entire day. We bought everything from Majestic wine merchants. Providing a free bar was something we were both keen to provide.”
“We provided our guests with little bags of our favourite sweets, all assembled by Mother in law, who also created hangover kits for guests to take home with them.”
“Our photographer, Pippa Carvell was recommended by a friend at work, we wanted someone that will catch the candid moments of the day and she did that perfectly. She was a pleasure to deal with from start to finish and would thoroughly recommend to anyone, we are so so happy with our pictures.”
The couple used Martin’s Land Rover Defender to drive to the guests after the ceremony.
“The venue was all outdoors on uneven grass so I opted for flat sandals that were covered by the dress.”
“Being together with all of our friends and family on the dancefloor singing and dancing to our favourite songs was our favourite part fo the day. All we wanted was for our guests to have the best and most memorable time.”
“Our first dance track was an acoustic version of simply the best by Tina Turner, performed by the Kicks. We decided on this as our first dance song the evening we got engaged, it was used in a tv show we watched together and it always brings me to happy tears.”
Words of Wedded Wisdom
“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Whilst details are important, don’t let them rule the day. It goes so quickly after all the time spent planning, do what makes you and your partner happy. Don’t spend time or money trying to keep others happy.”
“Our initial budget was £25,000 but we exceed this by about another £5000.”
“Each wedding is personal to the couple getting married so as long as they are happy with what they do, that’s all that matters. We wouldn’t change our wedding for the world, but can completely understand and respect choices to have a smaller do.”
What an absolute belter of a day! If super fun colourful weddings are your thing, you can find more here – and there are lots more festival inspired celebrations here too.
Sending love to one and all this weekend, let’s brace ourselves for what lies ahead in the run up to Christmas folks -but remind ourselves that Love My Dress provides the perfect place to escape from it all.
Love Annabel x
Credits & Thanks
- Photographer - Pippa Carvell
- Venue - Slaugham Manor Haywards Heath (also supplied the marquee)
- Bridal dress- Alan Hannah via Teokath Bridal Boutique
- Veil - Emma Tindley
- Shoes - Flats
- Groom - Ted Baker Menswear
- Bridesmaids - SexyHer in Croydon
- Florist - Early Hours London,
- Entertainment - Alive Network
- Rings - Queensmiths in Hatton Garden
- Catering - Super Events Catering
- Stationery - DIY
- Hair Stylist - Ashley Cabello
- Makeup Artist - Mel Miller + Vicky Browne
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
